Opinion: The Durban Debacle

Steven Hayward on the Durban climate conference.

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... the Supreme Court ad and Immigration the Arizona immigration law to its caseload ... did that Durban climate copper accomplish anything ... also in an interview with Senator Tom Coburn of Oklahoma ... welcome to Opinion Journal Live on Jason Riley in joining me first is Steven Hayward of the American Enterprise Institute welcomes you ... Asian ... and Steve is here to discuss the climate change conference ... in Durban South Africa the ... seventeenth ... of gathering I believe ... aam which wrapped up over the weekend ... um so you are calm recently ... Steven like in this conference ... to Winston Churchill's description ... of disarmament talks he said which he called a prolonged and Salam Farce ... can can you elaborate on that little ... wash or any ... negotiations ... in the ... thirties did nothing ever will work to ... or from the dictatorship are in themselves in these climate talks are doing nothing ... to solve the problem global warming even if you accept the view that we basically have to be ... mean no one is going to ... be a top speed of cuts in their energy use the way the KYO protocol calls for ... especially of the nation's largest the nation's fastest growing nations like China and India are going to be part of the agreement ... so this is an obvious for years now but every year the yuan service meets again ... in the latest ideas well Sobel reclining a from Europe and America boa hundred billion dollars the year ... even though you know you're in America will rope writes of this is a harsh to ... insult and it is the last several abandoned with an agreement to me in next year and the whole circus one ... of them the goal is to expand the nineteen ninety seven ... Kyoto Protocol which expires this year ... you know the Washington Post environmental reporter ... said that this was nothing to begin agreement that was reached what exactly they did they agree to ... the degree to agree ... great for years from now or agreement that would take him I'd take it that nine years from now ... which means they kick the can so far down the road is Ardi out the other day and recycling be ... mandated in this prolonged time in Copenhagen two years ago said we've reached agreement ... to do something important ... for the next year ... in and then Kimco they said next year what to do it and they got the same thing they share so ... you really just keeping hope alive might say I was a certain person down the street from us here in AZ I might say ... well the the the the I think the last haven't signed on ... to any binding climate treaty Zalm and you know I'm ... in over the years other countries into the cover-up Tableland ... announ ... I kept their distance Russian Japan ... so they're going to ignore this evening cannot ... is is backing out of it why not on the second a ... second thoughts why these countries having second thoughts the just a matter of not having money for something else going on ... it's not just money they finally done some of the word that it ... shows that meet these emissions reduction targets ... will require such drastic cuts in energy is that it's simply not economically feasible ... I'm in the state's case they meet the target squad but whether or not she ... will require reducing our emissions from fossil fuels but level we last saw in my team and ... Lily had beaten ninety million people this country and it's completely absurd ... it is Ousley candidate worthwhile completely ... the interesting thing is the even the Obama administration is dragging their feet and is essentially arguing the same point of view of the Bush administration did ... and I'm interested and curious that the environmental movement is not attacking the Obama missed ration when they get the Bush administration ... the idea of these talks in the beget of the developed nations to transfer ... of money to less developed nations ... um what is the fundamental problem with that approach ... well first ball well why should we be paying the money and added it ... is actually the UN is all about trying to do well transfers from wealthy world the less developed world and always look for new is you is that right Saturday's ... brawl ready whenever that he's now back in with the new ... I know you know the new scheme ... for the bigger problem is is that even if you get the one hundred billion dollars a year ... that's a ... completely inadequate amount compared with climate orthodoxy says he would have to stand over the next forty years to stop climate change ... it's really this is such a almost a token amount in some respects he showed up and we are realistic or wishing to speak ... in your view is that the issue here that global warming isn't occurring or is the issue that it is occurring ... but it's not the sort of Christ this that someone make about to be ... my opinion as we get the dimensions of all surely overestimated by almost all other environmental steers the last fifty years ... but second ... to do for one second ... if I'm wrong that we do is apply it to be our twenty oh dramatic warning ... emissions cuts is not gonna work it's the last we wanna go about it because the Makets or worse off ... and thirdly ... while attacking the leech was outdoors kind of person that there's ... not many ... though technically right on that point that ... thank you for joining us to the ... ecstacy